Sing a song for dad this Father's Day -- Top 10 songs about great dads

Anika Myers PalmOrlando Sentinel

We know, dads.

You think there aren't as many songs honoring you as there are songs honoring moms.

You're right -- but there are quite a few.

We've made a list of what we consider the Top 10 Songs about Great Dads (which you also can enjoy on Spotify):

10. Gladys Knight & The Pips, "Daddy Could Swear, I Declare"

Enjoy Knight's song about her dad, who was "a heck of a man" who was great to the family but had one funny little habit -- he liked to curse.

9. Alanis Morrissette, "Princes Familiar"

Alanis shares her thoughts on the kinds of things men should and shouldn't do to be good dads to their daughters -- so their daughters will, in turn, know what to expect from men later in life.

8. James Brown, "Papa Don't Take No Mess"

We can quibble about the reference to corporal punishment, but still enjoy the Godfather talking a little bit about how dads keep order in their homes.

7. Johnny Cash, "A Boy Named Sue"

You know this one. The titular boy is furious with his dad for giving him a girl's name, until he meets up with the old man, who then tells him that the name was meant to make him tough.

6. Barbra Streisand, "Papa, Can You Hear Me?"

In this song from the movie "Yentl," Streisand, playing the title character, sings about what an inspiration her father was to her and how she's not sure what to do after his death.

5. Mike and the Mechanics, "The Living Years"

This sweet song is about a man lamenting a complicated relationship with his father -- and that he never got to say all the things he wanted to say to his dad.

4. Beyonce, "Daddy"

Little girls love their daddies, don't they? In this song, Mrs. Knowles-Carter sings about the security her dad gave her early in life. What dad wouldn't melt at hearing his daughter say she wants her unborn son and future husband to be just like her daddy?

In this concert video, Bruuuuuuce sings about a wedding day on which a young groom thinks about the lessons he's learned from his old man -- and the ones he hasn't learned -- and decides to step forward in hope and strength.

2. The Winstons, "Color Him Father"

A song about a real hero: a man who stepped in to act as a father a child who wasn't his biologically. Enjoy (and try not to cut a step as you listen).

1. Luther Vandross, "Dance With My Father"

Vandross's wistful paean to sweeter, simpler days with his late father is a tearjerker, and, for our money, the best song ever about a great dad.

So whether you call him Dad, Pop, Father, or Papa, sing a song for the first man in your life this weekend.

Are there any other songs about great dads that you like? Feel free to suggest them in the comments.